Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen (2021) Snapshot

At the center of this story, we have the Lovelorn Killer – who, twenty years ago, murdered seven women by ritually binding them and leaving them for dead and then sending gruesome love letters to them in the local papers. After killing his seventh victim, he goes dormant.

In the present, we meet Grace – who’s part of an amateur sleuth group and is determined to figure out the identity of the Lovelorn Killer. She believes he is still alive and lives locally. 

We also have our protagonist, Detective Vega, who lost someone she loved to the killer. She is called to a crime scene and has the shock of her life when she sees Grace’s body bound and surrounded by clues pointing to the infamous killer. 

When I read the synopsis for Gone for Good, I knew I would like it. What I didn’t expect was to love Detective Vega this much. I enjoyed her as a character and felt that Schaffhausen set her up for a fantastic development arc through the series. She is multidimensional, talented, empathetic, and insightful. Despite her demons, her moral compass always points North, and she seems to want to see the best in people.  I loved her approach to crime-solving, and the plot in this book was exciting and tight! I will say that all the clues were laid out masterfully, which pleased me to no end.

I am still on the fence about the ending, though. I understand how important something was for Vega’s character development. But it felt like it was bordering on too much, too soon for me. In the overall context of my reading enjoyment, that was a minor issue. I cannot wait for the second book in the series.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Joanna Schaffhausen, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Gone for Good

My total rating: 4.58

Until next book, be the hummingbird!